It’s safe to say that traveling from the U.S. to Asia is quite expensive. It took Tyrel months to save up the money for the trip, and he decided to buy a one-way ticket, just to keep his options open. When the day of his flight finally arrived, he was more than excited.
Tyler was due to arrive in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. This was the first time he ever traveled alone, which obviously put him in a very uncomfortable position. His mind raced with many questions and concerns, but the teenager was bravely driven to see this journey through.
Much in Common
Tyrel and Joanna continued chatting online on a semi-regular basis and eventually found themselves talking almost daily. To their great surprise, the two had a lot more in common than they initially thought. For example, despite being born and raised on opposite sides of the world, they both loved Christian music.
Eventually, they became good friends and would talk daily about their lives, dreams, and challenges. The relationship lasted for almost two years, which completely flew by for them. By now, the teenager was already a high-school graduate. He saw that this was the perfect opportunity to take their relationship one step further.
Making Travel Plans
Even when Tyrel and Joana were still just at the beginning of their Facebook relationship, it was already clear to the teenager that he was going to meet her one day. This motivated him to work harder, and save up his money, something he was not used to doing before.
Now that he was free from his school duties, Tyrel messaged Joana and asked his new friend if he could travel abroad to meet her in person. The Filipina girl was extremely excited and told him to come as soon as he wished. Just days later, he had already bought the tickets.
The Best Reception
After a 14-hour flight from Idaho to the Philippines, Tyrel finally got his chance to meet Joana. He was introduced to her family, who greeted him with love and warmth. They knew he was the one who sent their daughter the shoebox, and they were very excited to meet him after all this time.
Joana and Tyrel also got along quite well and ended up bonding instantly. In fact, the two got along so well together that they spent many long days, which turned into weeks together. So far, the teenager was more than happy he had bought a one-way ticket.
Staying in the Philippines
Joana and Tyrel had such a great time together that neither of them wanted Tyrel to leave. He stayed as much as he could, but eventually, the teenager’s visa was bound to expire and he would have to leave. This didn’t stop the two from having the time of their lives.
After a month had passed, Tyrel had to return home to Idaho. In those few short weeks, the two had bonded more deeply than in any of their previous friendships. It didn’t take long for their relationship to turn from a friendly and casual one to something much more romantic.